A 16-year-old Northern Soul DJ from a coastal North Yorkshire town has amassed a collection of over 1,000 classic singles and has set his sights on going full time.
Finlay Keates from Whitby has been dropping vinyl across the north of England and buying original release records for the British dance movement inspired by lesser-known American soul records for almost three years.
The local said he first got the bug thanks to a visit with his dad's mate to Whitby Soul Club's 10th anniversary in September 2023.
Finlay said: "It was all by chance really - I have always been into music, particularly indie and two-tone.
Shortly after the anniversary event in Chapel on the Hill in Brunswick Street, I was asked if I wanted to have a go.
“It was very different to anything I have done before, all new, I had never seen a deck or had any experience with vinyl.
"The person who first got me behind the decks is now my booking agent, but we’d never met before my first gig.
"Within six months I was performing in the town again, and I have done shows in Wallsend, Tynemouth, Scarborough, Hartlepool and Middlesborough."
Northern Soul DJs traditionally build their collections around rare and obscure American soul records, prized for their scarcity and ability to fill a dance floor.
Finlay started with “reissues” but since his passion developed changed to original releases.
He said: "I go to Record Revivals in Northway, Scarborough and also buy a lot on Discogs and sometimes direct from a store in the US state of North Carolina.
"I have a collection of 1,000 singles and moving a lot of my interest on to 12” singles as well."
"When you pick up a record in a charity shop over here which has been released in the UK but flopped, you can quickly get the sense of why, but with every track I buy now you just instantly know why it was a hit on the scene here."
He said he organised his own night in Whitby in July and received support from local people who are "in it for the music".
Whitby Soul Club founder Marc James said: "He's a good kid, he's got a good interest and a good ear for music.
"He's really keen, as much as some of the kids down south, it's a little more unusual to see this interest in the North.
"He's gained a lot of respect for what he plays and he's happy to help us out here.
"He's been keen to put on his own events and he's playing on the same bill as Colin Curtis in Middlesborough next month."
Finlay said: "My approach is music first - I would like to think that I have a style which gets the people onto the dancefloor.
"They don't make a big deal of my age, people just ask how it came about and where it started."
"I’d love to do it full time, but at the moment, I'd like to give a massive thank you to the team at Whitby Soul Club - Marc James, Jesse James and Bobby Dixon.
"And an extra-special thank you to the people who act as my agents and have helped me along the way - Chas Stan Farley, where it all began at the Whitby Soul Club, and Stephen Downey, who helps me get in front of the right people.
Finlay Keates top five floor-fillers within his original collection are:
1. Dee Clark – That’s My Girl, 2. Shane Martin – I Need You, 3. Smoove & Turrell – Will You Be Mine, 4. Ronnie & Robyn – As Long As You Love Me and 5. Mario Biondi – This Is What You Are
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